Ulysses in Black : Ralph Ellison, Classicism, and African American Literature.

Intro -- Contents -- Prologue: Preparing for the Journey of Ulysses in Black -- 1. Classica Africana: The Nascent Study of Black Classicism -- Journey 1: From Eurocentrism to Black Classicism -- 2. Birth of a Hero: The Poetics and Politics of Ulysses in Classical Literature -- 3. Ulysses Lost on Racial Frontiers: The Limits of Classicism in the Modern World -- 4. The New Negro Ulysses: Classicism in African American Literature as a Return from the Black (W)hole -- Journey 2: Ralph Ellison's Black American Ulysses -- 5. "Ulysses alone in Polly-what's-his-name's cave": Ralph Ellison and the Uses of Myth -- 6. Ulysses in Black: Lynching, Dismemberment, Dionysiac Rites -- 7. Ulysses (Re)Journeying Home: Bridging the Divide between Black Studies and the Classics -- Notes -- References Cited -- Index.

In this groundbreaking work, Patrice D. Rankine asserts that the classics need not be a mark of Eurocentrism, as they have long been considered. Instead, the classical tradition can be part of a self-conscious, prideful approach to African American culture, esthetics, and identity. Ulysses in Black demonstrates that, similar to their white counterparts, African American authors have been students of classical languages, literature, and mythologies by such writers as Homer, Euripides, and Seneca.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.